I believe it to be around 1910 or a little earlier - have not found any serial lists for exact year. From the research I've done, it appears that later versions use a beaded pattern wood for the sides, instead of the sooth wood on this one. The wood, original paint and decals are really quite nice - just a lot of dust on it from years in the barn.
It came from a farm about 10 miles from me, where they used it for alfalfa and clover seed. At least in the time the family could remember, they always used it right in the barn, bringing the field to the machine, instead of the other way around. They had a McCormick thresher they used for oats and wheat in the same fashion - the machine stayed in the barn instead of going out to the field. Not typical for this area, but not a bad way to go about it really. They quit using both in the early 80s when they quit dairying and started hiring custom harvesting - it has not been run since. I purchased it in the early 90s when they had their farm estate sale and had a vision of getting a steam engine to go with it, which hasn't happened.
It went right from their barn into ours, and has only been out for a couple shows. It's a really neat piece of farm history, and I'm hoping it will go to a good home for use and preservation.
Edited by GreenOrange - 15 Mar 2021 at 9:09am
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